Civil society

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has confirmed that 2025 ranked as one of the three warmest years on record, underscoring the relentless grip of human-driven climate change even amid natural cooling influences.

Pakistan's experience reflects a broader paradox: pioneering legal frameworks coexist with entrenched prejudice, religious pushback, and international aid disruptions.

Late at night at the Khamarbari intersection, groups of nearly 40 displaced individuals –including many children – huddle around small fires made from burning scraps of wood and paper. The flickering flames offer fleeting warmth against the biting chill, but the bare pavement beneath them provides no cushion or protection. Children in thin, filthy sweaters shiver as they chat or try to sleep, their bodies pressed together for shared heat.

Opening the hearings, Judge Iwasawa Yuji, President of the Court, outlined a detailed schedule that includes two rounds of pleadings by Gambia and Myanmar, as well as closed sessions to hear testimony from witnesses called by the applicant State.

Health minister Sudha Gautam, a senior gynaecologist herself, is positioned to drive change. Experts urge her to prioritise regulation, monitoring, and awareness campaigns.

In a bold move to address one of Maldive’s most pressing challenges – severe housing shortages in the densely populated capital region – the Maldives government has rolled out its comprehensive ‘Housing for All’ policy.

Once feared extinct, the tiger (Panthera tigris) now stands as a symbol of India’s ecological resurgence. But as the national survey gains momentum, scientists and forest officials warn that habitat space, prey availability and human pressures could test future gains.

The holding centres often lack necessities like water and sanitation, and the people held there are lucky if they even receive two meals a day, as food stocks are often too low to supply enough meals. The need for blankets and winter kits is increasing.